Royal British Legion Awards

by Jeremy Kay

Kay's
Wreath

When serving as a Grenadier Guard, Brother Barry Kay duties included being posted to Egypt and guarding Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle and the Bank of England. Along with Sister Pam Kay, who holds a British Empire Medal, and Sister Tania Cains-Howarth of the Chesterfield Ward, they attended the Royal British Legion awards ceremony on Thursday 28th March at Haig House in Chesterfield. The event was attended by representatives of many groups including veterans, air, sea & army cadets, bikers and many others involved in the 2018 Poppy Appeal.

Chesterfield Ward collected donations at the Tesco store for that Poppy Appeal, raising its highest ever amount of £10,768 over the two-week campaign. Over 305 hours of effort was contributed by 34 members and friends, working in shifts over 12-hour days. Many of the knitted poppies that adorned the Chesterfield Town Hall were produced and donated by sisters from the Ward’s Relief Society. Chesterfield's beautiful and unique wreath centrepiece was specially created by artist Brother Simon Bagshaw to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice.

Certificate

Bishop David Lawrance commented, “The kindness of the people Chesterfield has been truly inspiring. As a congregation we are really pleased to help this great cause, raising the bar by collecting more than ever before since our first involvement in 2013. Thank you for every penny and every minute donated by all those involved. Charity is the pure love of Christ and this is one way we can truly show for, and share with, others.”

Sister Tania Cairns-Howarth was one of the 95 less-active members who were invited to help with the collection. She, along with her non-member husband Andrew, donated more than 30 hours to the campaign. Fifteen less active members and non-members helped, which relieved the time involvement for busy ward members and leaders. This campaign has proved a great way to minister to less active members, by inviting them to assist in a cause which means so much for so many.